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SMS glossary

SMS glossary: business texting terms, defined plainly.

Business texting has its own vocabulary, from 10DLC and segments to opt-out keywords. This glossary explains each term in a sentence or two and links to the page that covers it in depth. Where a term describes something CampaignCNX+ does, or does not do, the entry says so.

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Terms, A to Z

10DLC
A standard 10-digit local phone number that has been registered with the carriers for business or campaign texting. The registration tells the carriers who is sending and what kind of messages to expect. 10DLC registration explained covers the process, and the 10DLC approval kit has sample wording for the forms.
A2P messaging (application to person)
Texts sent by software on behalf of a business or organization, such as reminders, alerts and campaign messages, as opposed to texts between two people's own phones. The wireless industry's guidelines now call this non-consumer messaging, and they count any text sent by or on behalf of a business, organization or political campaign as non-consumer, however it is sent. Every message sent through CampaignCNX+ is A2P.
Call to action
The invitation to join a texting program, such as a sign-up form or a sign that says "Text JOIN to" a number. It should say who is texting, how often, that message and data rates may apply, and how to get help and opt out.
Campaign Verify
A verification service for political campaigns and committees. A committee verifies its identity once per election cycle and receives a token, which its texting provider includes when it registers the committee for political texting. Campaign Verify for local candidates explains the steps.
Carrier
A company that provides mobile phone service and delivers text messages to its customers' phones, such as AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile. Carriers decide which business numbers they will carry texts from, which is why registration matters.
A person's permission to receive texts from a particular sender, usually given by checking a box on a form or by texting a keyword. Consent belongs to the sender it was given to and should not be passed to another business. SMS opt-in requirements explains what counts.
Group text vs mass text
A group text is one conversation shared by several people, usually started from a personal phone, in which every member sees the others' replies and phone numbers. A mass text is one message sent to many people, where each person receives it as a separate, private text and replies come back only to the sender. A business sending to its customers uses a mass text, so that customers' numbers stay private and each person can opt out on their own. See mass text messaging for how a mass text is sent.
The names and numbers are made up.
HELP
A keyword a person can text to get information about a texting program. The reply should name the business and say how to reach it. On CampaignCNX+, HELP and INFO receive an automatic reply, and the person stays subscribed: HELP is not an opt-out.
Keyword
A word that a person texts to a number to make something happen, such as JOIN to sign up for a list or HOURS to receive opening times. STOP, HELP and the other compliance words are reserved and always do their standard job. Keywords and automatic replies are a $20 monthly add-on on CampaignCNX+.
Mass texting
Sending one message to a list of people at once, with each person receiving a private copy. It is how businesses send offers and reminders and how campaigns send event and turnout messages. The mass texting guide covers how a send works and what it costs.

Put the terms to work

Send your first mass text from a registered number.

Import the customers who opted in, write one message, and see the segment count and cost before you send. You start with 100 free SMS, and your number is $5 a month.

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MMS
A text message that carries an image along with text. An MMS is not split into segments, and on CampaignCNX+ it uses 3 credits on every plan. SMS vs MMS explains when a picture is worth the extra cost.
Opt-out (STOP)
A person's request to stop receiving texts, usually by replying STOP. On CampaignCNX+, STOP, STOPALL, UNSUBSCRIBE, CANCEL, END, QUIT, OPTOUT and REVOKE all opt a person out, and the person receives one confirmation and no further messages. The opt-out message examples give sample wording.
Peer-to-peer (P2P) texting
A way of sending in which a person, usually a volunteer or staff member, sends each message individually from a texting platform, often by pressing send once for each recipient. It is common in political organizing, where it is sometimes called text banking. The wireless industry's guidelines classify texts by who sends them rather than how: texts sent by or on behalf of a business, organization or campaign count as non-consumer (A2P) messages even when a person sends each one. CampaignCNX+ does not offer peer-to-peer sending today. Every message it sends goes out as A2P messaging from a registered number.
Quiet hours
The hours when marketing texts should not be sent. The federal rule for telephone solicitations uses 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. in the recipient's local time, and some states set their own hours for some kinds of messages. CampaignCNX+ sends only between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. in each recipient's time zone. The SMS quiet hours calculator works out the window for a list that spans time zones.
Segment
The unit a text message is sent and billed in. One segment holds 160 characters of plain text, or 70 if the message contains an emoji or another special character, and a longer message is split into several segments. The SMS character counter shows how many segments a message uses.
Short code
A five- or six-digit number used for high-volume texting, such as alerts from a bank or an airline. Short codes are leased and approved separately from ordinary numbers, and CampaignCNX+ does not offer them. What is a short code? explains how they work.
The Campaign Registry (TCR)
The organization that keeps the registry of 10DLC brands and campaigns for the carriers. A business does not register with it directly: a messaging provider registers the business (the brand) and what it will send (the campaign). CampaignCNX+ files both through Twilio.
Text blast
Another name for a mass text: one message sent to many people at once, such as a sale announcement or an event reminder. Our page on mass texting answers what a text blast is in more detail, along with what a send costs.
Toll-free verification
The carriers' review of a toll-free number, such as an 800 or 888 number, before it can send business texts. On CampaignCNX+ there is no registration fee for a toll-free number, and verification takes about three business days.
Two-way text messaging
Texting in which the people you message can reply, and their replies reach a person on your side who can answer. A one-way text, such as an alert from a number that does not accept replies, carries information in one direction only. Two-way texting suits appointment changes, customer questions and volunteer check-ins. On CampaignCNX+, replies arrive in a shared inbox, which is a $12.49 monthly add-on and is included on the Enterprise plan. See two-way texting for how the inbox works.
Unicode and GSM-7
The two alphabets a text can be sent in. GSM-7 covers English letters, digits, common punctuation and some accented letters, and fits 160 characters in a segment. A message with any character outside it, such as an emoji or a curly quote, is sent in Unicode, which fits 70.

Replies and registration

Two-way texting, with the registration filed for you.

Replies land in a shared inbox, STOP and HELP are answered automatically, and we file your number's carrier registration. For a toll-free number, the carrier review usually takes about three business days.

Start free trial → Two-way texting

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